“the ‘buy and stay’ approach: making your web hosting business buyer-friendly”
DESCRIPTION
Presented by Adam Eisner, Product Manager, Domains, OpenSRS at HostingCon 2088TRANSCRIPT
The “Buy and Stay” Approach:Making Your Web Hosting Business Buyer-Friendly
Adam Eisner
HorsesTucows:• First, and one of the largest, wholesaler of domain names
• 8m+ under management and counting• Offers domain names, email, digital certificates, hosted registrar platform & more• 8,000 hosting companies & ISPs use our services• Focus exclusively on wholesale, private-label products• Also operate Tucows.com, Platypus Billing System, NetIdentity, ItsYourDomain.com
Adam:• Product Manager, Domains• Responsible for operation and growth of domain name business (more than two dozen TLDs and ccTLDs)• Have worked at Tucows 4.5 years, in the industry almost 10 years• Background in technology journalism, marketing
The “Buy and Stay” Approach
A straightforward approach to web hosting to help you focus on gaining and retaining customers.
1. Sell On Problems, Not on Features
(Or, “Your Buyer Is Not Webhostingtalk.com”)
10GB Storage
2GB Transfer1000 email accounts!
Website Builder!
Free puppies!
The Truth About Customer Problems
• 1000 GB of storage!– How do I get my photos online?
• 1,000 mailboxes!– How do I get my family/business email
addresses?• Free website builder!
– How do I get my blog up and running?• Free domain name!
– How do I point a URL to my Facebook profile?
Prove It
Companies that hit their target audiences well
Making Your Web Hosting Business ‘Buyer Friendly’Adam Eisner, Tucows Inc.July 2008
Making Your Web Hosting Business ‘Buyer Friendly’Adam Eisner, Tucows Inc.July 2008
1. Sell on problems, not features2. Make it easy to buy from you3. Never let your clients try the competition4. Make service a feature5. Listen to your customers and the market6. Outsourcing is okay. Honest.
Making it easy for customers to buy from you
Remember, most of your services start with a name.
Make it easy to get that name, and to layer services on top.
1. Sell on problems, not features2. Make it easy to buy from you3. Never let your clients try the competition4. Make service a feature5. Listen to your customers and the market6. Outsourcing is okay. Honest.
1. Sell on problems, not features2. Make it easy to buy from you3. Never let your clients try the competition4. Make service a feature5. Listen to your customers and the market6. Outsourcing is okay. Honest.
1. Sell on problems, not features2. Make it easy to buy from you3. Never let your clients try the competition4. Make service a feature5. Listen to your customers and the market6. Outsourcing is okay. Honest.
Premium Domain Names
• Extremely popular with small businesses• Buyers turn into higher-margin customers• Popular with all major commercial registrars and many
hosting companies
Examples We’ve Sold Recently
• Emailmagic.com• Webhostbiz.net• Faxforward.com• Techwriters.net• Sustainablecities.net
2. Keep ‘Em At Home
(Or: Never Let Your Customers Check Out the Competition)
The “Stay At Home” Checklist
• What are my customers’ upgrade options?• How do I track my customers’ growth?• Am I aware of what my customers want and need?• Once they outgrow me, where do they go?
• Do I have a deal/transition plan for them?
One trip to your competitors’ control panel could spell the end of your relationship!
Sell A Suite of Services
• Web hosting• Domain names• Email• Digital certificates• Premium names• Upgraded services• Etc.
3. Service Is A Feature
(Not A Chore)
"System unavailable : But don't worry, your email is safely stored on our servers and our engineers are working on a solution.”
4. Keep your ear to the ground and your eyes open.
(Pay attention to your customers, the market, and yes, even your vendors.)
How to Listen
• Get a blog• Read blogs• Read magazines and websites• Track your inputs (emails, phone calls)• When it becomes a dull roar, it may be time to act
Churn Is A Sign, No Matter How Well You’re Doing
• You should have more domains transferring IN than OUT.
• Your domain name renewal rate should be at least 70%.
– If it isn’t, investigate:• Your messaging (how many notices do you send?)• Customer satisfaction levels• Where your names are going
– Go Daddy? Someone you haven’t heard of?
5. Outsourcing Is Okay.
(Honest.)
Can You Really Do It All?
• Email • Hosting (Rack space, servers, software and panels)• Anti-spam• Domain names• DNS• SSL certificates• Website tools• Etc.
What do you do best?
Key Points
• Sell on problems, not features– Think FUNCTIONAL!
• Keep your customers “in house”– Don’t send them to the BORG
• Service is important. It’s a feature.– The Borg can’t compute SERVICE
• Listen to your customers and the market– Sometimes it sucks, but it’s necessary
• Outsource what makes sense. Don’t do it all.– This is key to every successful host
